Unidentified photographer / Unidentified maker
1861
Bracelet with a miniature of Victoria, Duchess of Kent (1786-1861)

Bracelet
The Royal Collection
RCIN 422250
 
Velvet bracelet with pearl ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a serpent eating their own tail, surrounding a miniature of Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent. She is shown bust-length against a grey background. Her head is turned half to the left and she wears a dark cloak and a white lace bonnet trimmed with blue ribbons. The work is sensitively coloured to show her brown eyes and brown hair.
 
This bracelet, set with a circular miniature of Queen Victoria's mother, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, was designed by Prince Albert following the death of the Duchess of Kent in March 1861. The miniature is set within a pearl ouroboros, symbolising eternal love and mourning. It was completed after Prince Albert's own death in December 1861. The portrait of the Duchess is a hand-coloured photograph of around 1859 selected by Prince Albert.
 
Engraved: Last gift / from my / beloved & adored Albert / ordered by him / for Xmas 1861 / Given me by Alice / Jan. 1st. 1862
 
LL/92942